Forgetting Utopia
by MarieWynn
Summary: SG1 is off in search of what they believe to be a utopian society created by the Ancients only to lose their memories along the way and make a shocking discovery that puts their lives as well as the rest of the Milky Way in danger.
1. Chapter 1

Synopsis:

SG1 is off in search of what they believe to be a utopian society created by the Ancients only to lose their memories along the way and make a shocking discovery that puts their lives as well as the rest of the Milky Way in danger.

Characters:  
SG1 new and old, as well as Reynolds.

Timeline: Takes place after Continuum and _Enemy at the Gate_ though there is no use of Atlantis characters in this one. I don't think. Not yet.

Author's note:

This is a plot bunny I've been sitting on for awhile now. I'm in college and finals are coming up and I work on the Stargate Movies Campaign (shameless plug: .com) so the updates might be a bit slow. Or I might just lose sleep trying to crank out chapters. Who knows. :) But hopefully this won't be too terribly slow. No beta as I'm just brave like that, so constructive criticism is welcome. On we go!

**Chapter One:**

The event horizon of the Stargate at the SGC exploded into a burst of blue liquid as the wormhole from PL6-549 opened. Moments later, SG1 stepped through from their scheduled return from said planet. Vala had her arms linked between the two Colonels of the team, now Mitchell and Reynolds, as they stepped through, with Daniel Jackson trailing behind them with a frown clear on his face. At the site of the General at the bottom of the ramp ahead of them, Vala released the arms of her military escorts and bounded down to meet him, her neat ponytail whipping around with the skip of her step.

"Hello General Landry!"

The man lifted a brow in question at the beaming woman standing in front of him. "Nice to see you too, Vala. I take it you have good news."

"I have hit the Vala-pot!" she announced proudly. "I have found the Ancients!"

"Jackpot," Daniel halfheartedly corrected. "And I wouldn't exactly go that far."

Vala turned ever so slightly with a cock of her head. "No, this is most definitely a Vala-pot. General O'Neill has nothing to do with my findings."

Landry looked back and forth between the two. "Briefing room in five. Then I'll decide whose hit what."

Vala saluted happily before marching off to the locker room, clearly not phased by Daniel's skepticism. Her high spirits hadn't waned by the time SG-1 was seated around the briefing room table.

"I'm not saying that it's _impossible_," Daniel repeated for the umpteenth time since Vala had announced her discovery. "I'm saying it's not probable. Vala, we're talking about beings who were capable of ascending to a higher plane of existence."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Just because they are capable doesn't mean they can."

He blinked at her. "That's exactly what it means, actually."

"Well just because they can doesn't mean they did, Daniel. I mean, honestly, don't you think it's just a tad bit arrogant to assume that when given the chance, everyone would make the same choices as you?"

He cut a glare to the newest addition to their team, Colonel Reynolds of SG3, as he tried to stifle a laugh. "You're missing the point, Vala. You pieced together the few remaining pages of a journal that referenced this place and now you think that you found the Ancients." His argument was cut short as General Landry came out of his office. Daniel sighed as the two Colonels stood at attention.

Landry nodded to Reynolds and Mitchell before turning to Daniel. "So, Dr. Jackson, what is it exactly that you found?"

"Nothing," Vala interjected as Daniel opened his mouth to speak. "_I, _on the other hand, found the Ancients." She beamed at the General, clearly awaiting the praise she felt she deserved.

The General folded his hands in front of him, eyebrows raised in expectation as he waited for her explanation.

"General, as you know," Daniel began, coming to Vala's rescue before Landry's patience could run out. "We found a massive library on PL6-549. There seems to be a wealth of knowledge there from many different planets and races, we even found some tomes on the Alterans."

"Blah, blah, blah, Daniel. Honestly, we'd be here all day if you got to run these things." Vala returned the appreciative smile Cameron threw her way. "We also found journals. Personal journals. Of the Ancients," she added. "And they were chock full of _good_ stuff! Including a gate address as to where they might have gone."

"Some of them," Daniel amended.

"Some of them," she agreed.

"Possibly," he pressed.

"_Probably_," she countered with a forced smile still directed at Landry.

"Okay, okay," Cameron finally jumped in, waving his hands at them. "Vala was able to piece together some parts of a very beat up journal. It talks about some sort of paradise or something-"

"Utopia is the word they used," Vala corrected.

Cam cut her a look of annoyance before continuing. "But it also looks like the place is forbidden."

"Other texts reference the place in a more negative light, sir," Reynolds explained. "It seems like some of the Alterans, or the people of PL6-549—we're not sure—went there a long time ago. A group reported back and they weren't very pleased with what they had found."

Landry looked around the briefing room table. "What do you think they found?" Four sets of shoulders shrugged at him.

"We're not sure," Daniel explained. "Whatever it was, it was pretty controversial. There was a group that was opposed to locking out the gate address from their dialing systems but they were overruled by the majority."

Vala sat up eagerly. "Here's the good part—it says in the journal that I found that the group who opposed blacklisting the place requested to join the original group on the planet."

Landry lifted his hands in question. "Meaning?"

"Meaning the original group never came back. They stayed on the utopian planet." She smiled brightly again, certain that she had made her case.

Landry turned to the archeologist whose lips were clamped together tightly as if he were trying to resist the urge to speak up. "Dr. Jackson? What do you think?"

"I think...I think it's unlikely that any Ancients that might have gone there would still be around. But it's worth taking a look at," he quickly added in response to the dejected look that had just come over Vala.

"Very well. You leave at 0800 tomorrow. Mitchell, I'd like a word with you. The rest of you are dismissed." He waited for the other three members of SG1 to leave before turning to the unit commander. "How is Reynolds working out for you?"

"Fits like a glove," Mitchell responded with a shrug. "Okay, maybe not like a glove, but he works. Better than the last three."

"Is that so?"

"Well, he's not Teal'c or Sam, but this could work. Reynolds knows his way around the field and has experience leading an SG team."

Landry leaned back in his chair. "And you don't think that's going to be a problem? Two team leaders on one team?"

"Nah," Cam replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "If anything I think that's what's going to make it work. SG1 is the flagship team for Stargate Command, which means we have to deal with a lot of hot button issues and sticky situations. Most of which we tend to get ourselves into. I need someone who can think on their feet and make split second decisions without trying to figure out the chain of command. That's how SG1 works. It's how it's always worked."

"I agree," Landry stood, locking the Colonel's eyes as he stood in turn. "You just keep in mind that this is still your team."

"Meaning my ass is the one on the line if we screw up. Got it, sir," he replied with a wry smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"Psst..."

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed at the sound. It was soon followed by a tickling sensation across his cheek, to which he swatted away before rolling over onto his side.

"_Psst_..." the sound came more urgently now in his ear. He cracked his eyes open and in the faint light coming from his alarm clock could barely make out the long locks draped across his face. After taking a second to wake up and sort through the half asleep confusion, he remembered that he had slept at the SGC last night, having worked well into the night and knowing they had a mission at 0800, meaning there was only one explanation for the dark hair tickling his nose and the slight pressure on his shoulder.

"Vala..." he warned. "What are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?"

"Trying to wake you up, of course," she replied as she leaned her chin on the hand that she had resting on his shoulder. "I _said_ 'pssst'. I thought that would be obvious."

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will this scenario away. "That you are trying to wake me up _is_ obvious, Vala. Dare I even ask why?" He was not looking forward to having one of these conversations again. It had been awhile, a long while actually, since he had had to turn down one of her many advances, but he should have known that this would happen again.

"Don't be silly, of course you can ask. But first you have to look at the time." He could almost hear the playful grin that was surely across her lips right now.

He squinted at the clock, finally able to make out that it was just after 05:00. What did that have to do with anything? "Okay..." he muttered as he flicked on the light.

"We leave for the Utopia place in just under three hours!" She paused, waiting for his excited realization. "Well you seem to be bursting with anticipation," she huffed.

"Vala," he ground out from between his teeth as he rolled over, "just because you are excited about this mission doesn't mean that you can...that we will..."

She blinked at him, confused, then a wave of hurt washed over her face. "You don't think we're going to find anything. You lied to General Landry and have just been placating me this whole entire day!"

He blinked back at her. "Wait...you woke me up because you wanted to talk about the mission?"

She was pouting at him now. "Well I did until I realized your excitement was just a lie."

He laughed out loud as he covered his face with his hands, now feeling incredibly stupid. He sat up, giving her knee a gentle pat of reassurance. "It wasn't a lie, Vala. I am excited about the possibilities of this mission, that the Ancients might have left things behind." 

She brightened at this. "Or that I might have discovered the Ancients' retirement home?"

He gave her leg another pat. "No, not that. Let me get dressed and then we can go get some breakfast, okay?"

A coy grin spread across her face. "Breakfast and a show perhaps?" she asked, her voice thick with insinuation as she looked him up and down. She shrugged at his narrowed eyes. "Can't blame a girl for trying. Not twice in one morning anyway." She grinned again as his face flushed with guilt. "Really, Daniel, if I was going to try to seduce you I certainly wouldn't use 'psst' as my opening line. Try not to take too long in that cold shower of yours. I'm hungry."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Daniel slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the harsh light in front of him. No, above him. He realized he was flat on his back. He turned his head ever so slightly. There was a man on a bed next to him. Mitchell.

Cameron, he amended.

Slowly, the last few days began to seep back into his consciousness. He recognized the room he was in. It was one of the long term care rooms of the infirmary of the SGC. "What happened?" he asked to anyone who might be listening as he began to slowly sit up.

Cameron sighed heavily. "Just give it a few minutes. It'll start to come back to you."

Daniel rubbed his eyes, trying to think back to the last thing he remembered. "We were in the gateroom. We were about to go to that...that utopia place."

"Nope," Cam turned heavy eyes up to Daniel. Sympathetic eyes. "That was about seven months ago."

Daniel sat up straighter, looking around the room. Reynolds was on the other side of him. "Where's Vala?"

His teamleader shook his head sadly. "Don't make me be the one to tell you, man. Just sit there and try to remember."

His blue eyes rounded as the image of Vala in quarantine rushed back to him. He automatically began ripping the monitors from his body, his feet hitting the cold concrete and beginning his sprint to the door before the last one had even come off. Jack rounded the doorway to the infirmary just as he reached it, the two nearly slamming into each other.

"Woh there..." Jack steadied Daniel with both of his hands on his arms, gently leading him back to his bed. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to see her."

Jack released his grip on his longtime friend, crossing his arms over his chest as he cut his eyes back to Mitchell. "When did he wake up?"

"About two minutes ago, sir," the Colonel responded. "I don't think he's quite processed everything yet."

Daniel eased himself back down onto his bed and turned pleading eyes up to Jack. "I just need to see for myself that she's okay. Please, Jack."

O'Neill rubbed his hand over his face. "We don't know if she's okay, Daniel. We don't know anything yet. That's why we needed you to...remember yourself I guess."

"Remember myself?" Daniel shook his head. "Look, I don't care about all of that. Just let me see her. I'll take the time to figure out the rest later."

Jack blew out a breath. "Alright. Follow me. She's still in quarantine. So you'll have to see her from the observation room."

"What happened on that planet, Jack?" He asked as he followed him down the corridors.

He shrugged. "You tell me."

Daniel's brow wrinkled as he thought back to their mission to PL9-872. He remembered heading up the ramp. He and Vala were trailing behind Mitchell and Reynolds as she talked his ear off about all of the wonderful things she was going to buy with the raise she was sure to be given for finding a real live Ancient. He stopped dead in his tracks as a familiar and horrifying sound echoed in his mind.

_Click._

_All four members of SG1 stopped dead in their tracks, Vala now frozen midstep as she paled. _

"_Was that what I think it was?" Reynolds asked to anyone in general._

"_If you think it was the sound of my foot finding a landmine," Vala responded with a grimace, "then unfortunately I think you might be correct."_

_Daniel tried his best to hide his fear. "Just be as still as possible and try not to panic," he told her while at the same time coaching himself. "We'll figure this-" his reassurances were cut off as she cried out in pain. He had to fight the urge to run to her side as she clutched the sides of her head with her fists. _

_Her gray eyes were full of terror as she met his, wincing in pain. "Daniel! Something's happening!"_

"_Just don't move, Vala! We'll get you out of here, I promise." He could see Cameron moving in slowly behind her, the Colonel watching his every step carefully. Right before Cameron reached her, a bright blue light began to radiate from the trigger she had stepped on, seeming to engulf her as she threw her head back involuntarily and began to convulse. In an instant it was over and she was collapsing into Cam's arms. Without thinking, Daniel rushed over to her side as Cameron lowered her gently to the ground._

_Neither had noticed that the blue light was still growing. _

"_We've got to get out here!" Reynolds shouted as he noticed the light. _

_Cameron had lifted Vala under her arms when the light reached his leg and he fell backwards with a cry of agony. Daniel reached for them as the pain found him and he too collapsed. He could barely make out Reynolds trying to dial the gate as it hit him too. He slowly pulled himself closer to Vala, who had fallen limply against Cameron. He groaned as he reached out, his fingers just managing to find the pulse on her neck before everything went black._

"Daniel!" Jack shook him gently, leaving him propped up against the wall where he had stopped. "Daniel, are you alright?"

He felt like he was waking up as he glanced at Jack. "Yea, I'm fine. Still remembering. I guess you aren't supposed to fill me in?"

"He better not," a very cross Dr. Lam answered for O'Neill. "General, do you mind telling me what you are doing with my patient?"

"He wanted to see Vala. I haven't told him anything but he seems to be doing the whole remembering thing just fine out of bed. I'll bring him back as soon as he's seen her."

Dr. Lam straightened her shoulders to stretch out some of the tension. "Fine. Five minutes tops, just like Cam."

"When did Cam wake up?" Daniel asked.

"A few hours ago," Carolyn responded as she did a quick check of his pulse and pupils. "I don't think everything has come back to him yet but that might take some time. Your pulse is elevated, Dr. Jackson. Are you feeling alright?"

He gave a sardonic laugh. "I feel like I've just woken up from a coma that apparently lasted seven months and one of the first things I remember is that my friend is hanging on to her life by a thread."

"He was having a flashback before you caught us, Doc," Jack interjected.

Daniel's eyes cut up to him. "You're usually more of a smartass than this." His face fell as he closed his eyes. "Which tells me things are a lot worse than what I know."

Jack gently patted his back and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Come on." He nodded to Dr. Lam as they passed her, conveying to her that he would keep an eye on her patient.

Daniel felt numb as he let Jack lead him into the observation room above quarantine. Vala was encased in a large clear case with gloved openings much like the safe globe box he had seem Sam use to test hazardous and possibly contagious materials, such as the replicators. She was hooked up to oxygen and had a feeding tube in her mouth. There also seemed to be a light gray haze surrounding her, almost as if it was radiating from her body.

He cleared the lump from his throat. "What's with the fog?"

Jack sighed. "We're not sure." He glanced at Daniel, a glimmer of pain for his friend quickly passing across his features. "How much do you remember?"

Daniel let out a slow breath as he leaned his shoulder against the glass. "I remember our last mission. I know who you are, who Sam is. Cam. Teal'c." Tears filled his eyes as he slowly turned his attention back to Vala. "I remember...I remember that she's my wife." Confusion spread across his features as he tried to battle the tears of worry. "Jack, please. Tell me what happened."

"Daniel, don't. You know I can't. Carolyn said that if we tell you anything it could mess up any chance you have of remembering everything." He ran his hand over the top of his head. "We're flying blind here, Daniel. It's damn lucky that you remember anything. When we found you, you had no idea who you were. Just...just give it some time. Once you get through the big things, we'll talk."

Daniel turned back to the sleeping form below them. "How much time does she have?"

"We don't know," he answered simply. "Probably not enough time for you to waste trying to rush into all of this. Let's head back to the infirmary, relax, and I'm sure it will all start coming to you."

He nodded slowly, reluctantly letting Jack lead him away. His mind raced as he and Jack silently made their way back down the halls. What had happened to Vala? He was drawing a blank on that as well as their wedding.

"Daniel?"

He looked up to find Sam's blue eyes full of concern, question, and hesitance. "Hi, Sam." He watched as relief flooded through her only to be replaced with more concern.

She turned to Jack from her perch at the foot of Cam's bed. "Did he remember something?"

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. "His wife."

Sam's eyes widened as she grimaced, seeming unsure of what to say. Daniel frowned, uncertain of her reaction until another memory hit him like a ton of bricks. "Not Sha're." His first wife, he realized as he lowered himself down on to his bed. The one he had lost to the goa'uld. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight off the host of memories flooding back that Sha're and the goa'uld had just triggered. A light touch caused him to open his eyes.

Sam laid her hand gently on his arm. "Don't try to fight it, Daniel. Just let it come naturally." She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Try to get some rest."

He nodded his consent before closing his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

Happy Christmas and a merry new year to you all! I'm on break from college so that means I have time to do some writing! I have not forgotten about this fic and am actually hoping to finish it over winter break, but figured I'd spread the holiday cheer by posting what I have for updates so far.

Before you read on, know that I intended this to be a lighthearted (ha!) sequel to my last fic, which left off hinting at a relationship blossoming between two members of the SGC. Will that happen? I have no idea. I know some people are on board with that ship and others aren't, so maybe the muse will allow me to write two versions—one with that ship and one without. Feel free to leave your outrage (or approval) of that 'ship in a review for Chapter five, which is where you will see what I am talking about. Happy reading and here's hoping I am able to update more soon!

**Chapter Four**

_Seven Months Ago_

"Rise and shine."

A set of blue eyes popped open. "Where am I?"

"Better question for ya," the man with a southern drawl countered, "_who_ are you?"

He squinted his eyes and frowned, unable to see the man speaking to him clearly and finding that he was unable to answer the question. "I..I don't know."

"Yup, I got nothing either. Neither does this guy." He threw his thumb in the direction of the man standing behind him.

The man came over, clutching his black hat in both hands. "My name's Reynolds. We, uh...we were really hoping you could tell us something."

He sat up, taking the glasses the man with the southern accent handed him. "Well, Reynolds, if you know that much about yourself then I would say you have me beat." He opened his eyes wide and blinked a few times as his sight adjusted, allowing him to take in his surroundings and the two men across from him.

"It says so, on these things," the southern man explained as he hooked his finger threw what looked to be a necklace. "Mine says 'Mitchell, Cameron.'"

He waited expectantly for a moment before asking, "Well which do you prefer?"

He shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I don't even remember being named." He groaned, plopping down on the bed across from him. "Sorry. Mitchell is fine, I guess. You don't have one, by the way."

"Why would I?" he asked as he blinked at the two strange men who were now looking pointedly between each other and him. He noticed now that they were wearing the same outfits. Uniforms! They were both donned in black military uniforms. He realized as he glanced down to his attire that he was dressed the same way as them. "Okay, so we're on a team. Good to know. Anyone know how we got here?"

"You came through the Circle of the Gods," a woman's voice responded.

They all turned to find an elderly woman, quite thin and frail but yet fearsome in her own respect, standing in the doorway. Her silver hair cascaded just past her shoulders and she was wearing a long blue dress, a gray shawl hanging loosely off her shoulders. Her deep brown eyes held equal parts wisdom and weariness. She commanded their respect as she entered and seated herself on the bed next to Mitchell.

"Why can't we remember who we are?" he asked her quietly, both Reynolds and Mitchell sitting up a little straighter at the question.

"It is the same for all who come through the Circle of the Gods," she answered, her voice just as quiet. "We do not know why. There are many of us here and in the surrounding villages that have ancestors who first rooted this planet with life. Then there are those who come to us. It is said that when the Gods first sent our ancestors to these lands through their great Circle that they did so as a punishment. Our ancestors had displeased the Gods and were to be put to death. But the Gods loved their children, and so in an act of compassion and mercy, allowed them to live but took away all knowledge of who they were. Husbands, wives, daughters, sons, all became strangers to one another. Life went on and new children were born in these lands for many generations. And the Gods continue to send the punished through their Circle to us. It is our charge to care for them until we have redeemed ourselves for the crimes of old."

"That's quite a heavy burden," he whispered, taking his glasses off momentarily to rub his eyes. "Thank you for caring for us."

Mitchell leaned forward, eyes full of doubt. "If there is anything you could tell us about how we got here, anything we said..."

She patted Mitchell's leg gently as she rose. "You have said nothing, but you each carried things with you. Your packs are in the next room." She paused, placing a soft hand on the side of the blue eyed man's cheek. "Might I suggest you let go of the past. Many have tried to recover it, but all have failed. Some have become consumed by their need to remember and their inability has consequently driven them mad." She smiled as he nodded his understanding, gesturing for them to follow her.

Their packs were lined up against the wall just inside of the next room. There was a large window next to a door that showed them the street, where a few people were walking and going about their business. Directly across from the window was another doorway, a thin sheet hanging from it for privacy. The elder woman slipped through it as his teammates began digging through their packs.

"Yo," Cameron called out. "Looks like we solved the mystery of your name. It's Jackson."

"How?" Jackson asked as he crossed the room and continued looking around.

"Our packs are labeled," Reynolds explained as he gestured to the open flap with a name label across the inside. "The last one says 'Dr D. Jackson' so that has to be you."

"Doctor?" He repeated with a frown. Reynolds began to explain that 'D' must stand for something, but he was no longer listening as he peered around the sheet into the next room. The elderly woman was tending to another much younger woman with raven black hair who lay peacefully asleep. There was a bandage on her head and as Daniel watched the woman, her eyes slowly opened to meet his. She gave him a weak smile that he returned with a wave before the elderly woman came to the doorway and shooed him away.

"She needs her rest," she chided.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry. What happened to her?"

"She came through the Circle of the Gods, just as you did, though a few moons before. She was injured and has only come awake a few times before now." Her brown eyes scrutinized him. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. She just looked...nice, I guess. I'm sorry to hear that she hasn't been well. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, child. She has care enough. You must tend to yourselves." She walked to the door, opening it enough to peer outside and gesture for someone to come. "My name is Emma. I am the leader of the village. Tomas here will show you to your quarters and help you find a change of clothes. We recommend that you put these that you wear now away as it only serves as a reminder of lives that you no longer lead."

"You've done this a lot, haven't you?" Reynolds asked.

She gave a weary smile. "More times than I care to have, but it is the burden we must bear if we are ever to win the Gods' favor. Tomas will show you the village as well and tomorrow we will try to find work for you. I must tend to my patient for now. I bid you good evening."

It was three days before Jackson saw her again, the woman with the raven hair. He and Cameron were repairing a stall in the market when she came by, Emma guiding her by the arm as if she was still not at full strength.

Cameron whistled softly to himself. "Hello hotness."

Jackson raised a brow at him, noticing that they were both admiring the same woman. "She must be pretty bad off to need Emma's help still."

"How long did Emma say she's been here?" he asked as he leaned against the next stall and took a sip of water.

"A few days to a week I think. She said she got here a few moons before us," he answered as he hammered a piece of wood into place.

"Ya know," Cameron began as he took a step closer to Jackson, his eyes making sure no one was listening in, "I find it kinda funny that we remember how to talk, know what a week is, a hammer, but yet we don't have the faintest idea as to who we are or where we came from."

He studied his teammate for a moment. "What are you saying?"

"What if they did this to us? Made us forget who we are somehow?"

Jackson shook his head. "Emma showed me some of their history yesterday. What she said was true, their descendents were sent here without any knowledge of who they were but yet they still retained their knowledge of how to live."

Cameron leaned his hands against the stall and pushed himself back in frustration. "There's got to be a way to undo it though." His musings were cut short as he noticed the raven haired woman coming their way. "She's heading our way, man!"

"What, who?" He looked around obliviously until he locked eyes with the woman, her gray eyes shining as she gave him a small smile. He returned it with one much larger than he had intended.

"Aww don't tell me you're gonna pull the 'I saw her first' card," Cameron muttered as he noticed their exchange.

Jackson felt his face flush with embarrassment. "What? No, of course not." He paused as he thought this over and turned to his friend to ask, "Would it work?" but was answered with only narrowed eyes.

"Hello," came a somewhat raspy but yet smooth and accented voice.

When Jackson failed to do anything but grin, Cameron stepped forward and held out his hand. "How do you do, ma'am." He took her hand in his and gave it a light kiss with a wink. "I'm Cameron and this is Jackson."

"Nice to meet you, Cam. I'm Val."

"Vala, dear," Emma corrected.

She shook her head, glancing to Jackson. "Right, sorry. Vala it is apparently. Tomas told me that there were new arrivals." She smiled at them both. "I feel rather new myself so I thought I might say hello."

The grin Jackson was wearing wilted a little at Emma's disapproving look. "Well, I'm glad you did," he spoke up. "I take it you don't remember anything either."

"No," she seemed a bit reassured by their similar situations. "Well, I guess I should let you two get back to work. I hope to see you around."

Cameron crossed his arms over his chest, noticing how she was mostly speaking to Jackson. "Yea, I'm sure we'll have loads to talk about." All three looked at him in question. "What? It was a joke. Because we don't remember anything. Lots to talk about? Get it?"

She gave a faint laugh. "Right. Well, it was nice to meet you both."

Jackson watched as she walked away and once she was out of earshot, he turned to Cameron and simply said, "Dibs."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_Present Day_

Most of the big things, as Jack referred to them as, had come back to Daniel now and he sat on his bed in the infirmary waiting for his longtime friend to get there so they could talk as he promised. He remembered the Stargate program, even remembered the day he figured out how to dial Abydos. He remembered the Goa'uld, the Replicators, and the Ori. He remembered all the loss he had suffered over the years. Sha're, Janet, Skaara, Shifu, Sarah...He even remembered the whole ascension thing. Cam told him that ascension was his trademark. He was starting to think Cam was wrong and that loss was his trademark as his memories began to come back to him and Vala's life seemed to be hanging by a thread just down the hallway.

Reynolds slowly made his way back into the room. He had woken up only an hour after Daniel but had been allowed time away from the infirmary to speak with his wife and son. He was currently coming back from his first visit to Vala. His shoulders were slumped and the lines around his eyes seemed more prominent with the weariness he was obviously feeling.

Cameron reached out from where he leaned against the wall and gave Reynolds a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "How's your family?"

"Good, they're good." He gave a half hearted laugh. "My wife threatened General O'Neill. That's the only reason he allowed me to see them before I, uh, started remembering things."

Cam shook his head. "Threatening a General? That's one hell of a firecracker you got there, man."

He smiled at the memory of his fiery tempered wife. "I guess it's no surprise that she took to Vala so well." His smile faltered. "She asked about her. Wanted to see her while she was on base. That's when I remembered, about Vala, I mean."

Daniel sat up a little straighter. "What did you remember?"

He gave Daniel a sympathetic shake of the head. "Just where she was. And that she was...um, not doing okay."

Daniel nodded and the three sat in silence for a few moments, seeming to be taking in their situation.

"I remember meeting her," Reynolds said, finally breaking the silence with a faint laugh.

"Which time?" Cam asked, not quite sharing in the amusement.

He furrowed his brow. "Both times, but I was thinking more about the last time. Back on the planet. She...uh, she," he couldn't help but chuckle, "she clocked that guy who was trying to hit on her. Remember?"

Daniel smiled wistfully at the memory. "Yea, I do."

Cameron let out a loud laugh as he caught up with his teammates on memory lane. "I remember that! We were at the tavern."

_Reynolds had gone to the bar to get himself and Mitchell another drink. Jackson was still sipping on his. His focus had been on Vala rather than his drink or his companions. She was seated near the bar with another man and had been quite engaged in the card game they had been playing for the past hour or so. He could hear her laughter from across the room as she leaned across the table to collect her winnings._

"_Well, that was fun." She gave the man a grin and a wink. "We will definitely have to do this again some time. Though maybe next time you should bring more money."_

_She had turned to leave when his large hand clamped around her arm. Jackson had nearly come out of his seat as he witnessed the altercation. He forced himself to stay put as he saw something flash across her grey eyes. It was a look of warning that she was giving the man who had a grip on her arm. _

"_I believe we're done now, so please take your hand off of me." Her husky voice was low and held the same edge of warning as her eyes. Jackson was only able to make out what she was saying from his seat because the whole bar had gone quiet when Vala had won the game, which was apparently unheard of against that particular opponent._

"_Oh, I don't think so, love," the man sing songed as he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his large arms around her. "If I'm to give up that much money, then I am certainly going to get something out of it."_

_Jackson jumped out of his seat at the promise in the man's voice, but Reynolds had beat him to it. He watched as his friend and apparent teammate stood over the man and an amazingly calm Vala and offered his hand to her._

"_Would you like me to escort you home, ma'am?" Reynolds asked her._

"_You can escort her to my bed, lad," the man retorted._

_Reynolds open hand balled into a fist and dropped to his side. "The only place I'll be escorting you is to Emma. To tend to the wounds I plan on inflicting on you if you don't unhand Miss Vala."_

_The man thrust Vala off of his lap and to the ground as he stood quickly and immediately stepped into Reynolds' face. Jackson only had eyes for Vala, who was on the ground and wiping blood off of her bottom lip from where it had collided with the edge of a nearby table on her way down. Her venomous eyes lifted to the man exchanging words with Reynolds. Jackson started toward her but Mitchell's hand on his arm stopped him._

"_Give it a second," Mitchell somewhat ordered, noting the threat of violence in Vala's eyes as she slowly stood up behind her attacker. "Something tells me your girl can take care of herself."_

_Jackson started to argue that she wasn't actually his girl, as he had only had a handful of conversations with her since their first meeting barely more than two weeks ago. Either Emma or Tomas was always at her side and had a poor tendency of steering her in the opposite direction of himself, Mitchell, and Reynolds. He guessed it was because they were new and hadn't yet earned Emma's trust._

_Mitchell pulled Jackson back down into his seat with a tug, his eyes still on the scene unfolding before them. Things were getting heated between Reynolds and the big man claiming he had rights to Vala for the night. Their argument was interrupted as Vala very calmly tapped the man's shoulder and proceeded to clock him the moment he turned around. He grabbed his nose in shock before lunging at her. Reynolds didn't even have time to react. Vala easily ducked out of the man's reach and threw an elbow into his kidney as she did so. He doubled over in pain and she took the opportunity to smash one of the heavy steel cups of brew onto the top of his head. As he went down, she noticed a bit more of the beverage sloshing around in her weapon, downed it in one quick gulp with a shrug as if to say 'Why not?', and then stepped over her attacker to greet Reynolds. _

_She held out her free hand with a grin. "Hello! I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Vala. Would you still care to escort me home?"_

_Reynolds managed to close his mouth that hung open in shock and nod his head. She looped her arm through his and threw a grimace back over her shoulder at the man still lying unconscious on the ground._

"_Emma is going to kill me when she finds out about this." She gave Reynolds a warm smile. "I sort of snuck out without her knowing. And she really doesn't like gambling."_

Reynolds was still smiling. "I remember asking her where she had gotten the bright idea that she could take on someone three times her size and you know what she did? She just shrugged and said 'I wasn't sure I could.' She told me that she felt that if I was going to defend her honor than she had better stand up and do the same."

Cam nodded, staring down at his hands. "That sounds like our girl." He looked up at his fellow Colonel. "You know, I thought Jackson here was going to kill you after she took your arm and walked off with you. It was all I could do to keep his ass in his seat."

Reynolds smile saddened a bit as he locked eyes with Daniel. "You didn't have anything to worry about. I think she was pretty much yours from the start."

Daniel gave him an appreciative nod, thinking that the reverse was probably more true. He wasn't sure when exactly she had claimed him, whether it had been on the Prometheus or when she had slapped those alien bracelets around their wrists, but he was certain that she had claimed him. It had only taken him this long to catch up with her.

"I think I'm going to go see her," he announced as he stood up from his bed.

Cam stood up as well. "I think I'll go with you, if that's okay."

He nodded his agreement and set off down the hall with Mitchell, both of them surrendering to their own thoughts as they walked the corridors in silence. Daniel's eyes stayed to the ground as they walked, trying to remember what he could concerning Vala and her current state. Dr. Lam had warned them that it would take time for their memories to come back, and even that some of their memories might never be recovered, but he was growing impatient. Vala's life was at stake and the best any of them could do was remember a bar fight.

He noticed as Mitchell's pace faltered and heard him curse under his breath. He glanced to his friend, whose eyes were locked on something ahead of them with a look of regret. He started to steer Daniel away but it was too late as he looked up and saw the source of Mitchell's conflict.

General O'Neill was in the hallway outside of the quarantine area speaking to what appeared to be another member of the SGC with messy brown hair. The man had one arm folded against his chest and the other hand resting casually against his chin, a look of concern on his face as he nodded his understanding to the General. His eyes shifted from Jack to Daniel, his arms unfolding as he did so and his posture somewhat stiffening.

"Well, hell," Cameron said as he continued walking forward and urged Daniel ahead. "From the look on your face I'm guessing you just got flooded with the same memories that I did."

Daniel could only nod. He recognized the man with the messy hair as Colonel John Sheppard of the Atlantis expedition. He winced, trying to ward off the memories of Sheppard and Vala spending time together before Atlantis left the Milky Way. They were rumored to be dating, but no one could ever get a straight answer out of them when asking the question directly. All Daniel knew for sure is that they had grown a lot closer than he had been comfortable admitting or witnessing.

He tried to mask his reaction to the memory of Dr. Rodney McKay blatantly asking Vala and Sheppard what was going on between them.

_McKay looked back and forth between the two people he had aimed his question at, not understanding the laughs they were trying to stifle. "What? Ever since Atlantis came back to Earth you two have been inseparable. If you're dating, that's great! Jennifer and I have been looking for another couple to double date with and you two would be perfect."_

"_Did you hear that, Vala? We should date because that would work out so well for Rodney. Glad to know he's only got our best interests at heart." Sheppard's voice held a hint of amusement. _

"_Oh please, you two are perfect for each other and you know it," McKay retorted. "Just answer the question."_

_Vala had apparently noticed the grimace on Daniel's face at that statement and was giving him a puzzled and somewhat hurt frown before schooling her features once more. "It's true," she replied as she wrapped her arm seductively against Sheppard's shoulders and switched her focus back to the conversation at hand. "Colonel Sheppard and I...well, we're getting married."_

"_What? That's great!" McKay congratulated. "Can I be your best man?"_

"_I'm afraid we aren't planning on having an actual ceremony," Vala said regretfully before placing a protective hand on Sheppard's stomach. "You see, John here is pregnant with my child and just doesn't think he'll fit nicely into a tux here soon. But perhaps you can be the godfather."_

"_Ha, ha, ha," Rodney retorted. "But if you two decide that you do want to fess up to your relationship, let me know first. Either way. There's a bet going on and I'd like to get in on it."_

_Vala's arm was still draped across Sheppard's shoulders as she leaned into him. "Do you hear that, darling? We could seriously make some money off of this. Which way do you want to go?"_

"_Well," Sheppard drew out the word, "proving that you are in a relationship is a lot easier than proving that you aren't."_

_Vala grinned. "And a lot more fun! What did you have in mind?"_

"_Well, PDA's go a long way."_

"_Public sex goes even further," she countered with a wink._

Daniel had left the table at that point, unsure of how much they were joking. He forced as much of a smile as he could now as he and Mitchell approached Sheppard and a very perturbed O'Neill.

"Dammit, Daniel! I told you that I would come to you." O'Neill shook his head. "Mitchell, is it absolutely impossible for you to keep this one in line?"

Mitchell nodded. "Pretty much, sir. Besides, we were actually coming," his eyes cut to Sheppard, "um, to see Vala, sir." He looked back and forth obviously between Sheppard and Daniel. "Well, this is awkward."

Daniel was frowning at Sheppard. "I, uh, guess I owe you an apology, Colonel Sheppard."

Sheppard shot a meaningful glance to the General before turning his attention back to Daniel. "I'd say we should talk but General O'Neill was just informing me that I can't really do that." He inclined his head at Daniel and started to walk away but Daniel stepped in front of him.

His forehead wrinkled as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Look...just...when she wakes up, just...just don't hold what happened on that planet against her. We were pretty much two different people and I don't want to see this whole mess screw up what you two had." He swallowed hard before continuing. "The truth is, I've never seen her happier than when she was with you."

Sheppard flexed his jaw, looking uncertain as to how to respond. "I appreciate that, I guess. Maybe we can talk after you get your memories back."

"So you're sticking around for a bit?" Cam asked.

"Yea, General O'Neill okayed me to stick around until Vala...well, until she gets better." He stole a glance at Daniel before continuing. "Let's just say Vala's important to me and leave it at that for now."

"She's very special," Daniel tried to acknowledge through the lump forming in his throat. He was battling a torrent of emotions as he knew how happy Vala had been with Sheppard, but he still knew her to be his wife. Though he had yet to remember the details of their time together, he felt that connection to her more strongly than anything he had felt in years. Which meant a large part of him wanted to pummel Sheppard for even thinking of Vala in a romantic way, though that was closer to the truth than their marriage.

Sheppard gave Daniel a saddened and pitiful look, almost as if he felt sorry for him. "Yes she is." He looked like he wanted to say more, but General O'Neill's hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Well, I think we'll let you two kids get back to visiting our sleeping Princess while I continue to brief Sheppard here." He shook his finger at the two patients from SG1. "No more roaming the halls unexpectedly. Need to put bells on you three."

Cam gave O'Neill and Sheppard a nod and watched them walk away. "We were totally different people back on that planet, huh?" He asked, his eyes still on the two retreating figures.

Daniel merely shrugged. "We lost our memories. We had no idea who we were."

"You know that's a load of crap, right?" he asked as he turned his head back to his friend. "We might not have remembered who we were, but we were still us. Maybe just without all the baggage. Which means what happened between you and Vala was real."

His blue eyes gave Cam a knowing look before shifting back to the ground. "He doesn't need to know that."

"No, but regardless of what might have been going on between them before we stepped foot on that planet, Vala will know that." He waited a moment for that knowledge to sink in and watched as Daniel heaved a heavy sigh. "Come on, let's go visit our girl."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_Six months ago..._

"Like clockwork," Mitchell muttered to himself as he hammered at the same post he had been tending to for the past hour in the market.

"What?" Reynolds asked, wiping the sweat from his brow before picking up a plank of wood and carrying it to the position of the next post of the new stall they were working on.

Mitchell gestured to just a few stalls down with a nod of his head. "Same time every day for the past two weeks, those two run off for a walk."

"Yea, with Vala's little puppy following behind." Reynolds looked around Jackson and Vala. "I don't see Tomas anywhere though."

"Maybe dude has finally realized the same thing I did the minute they met-as long as Jackson is around, no one else stands a chance with Vala."

Reynolds gave his colleague a smirk. "Aww, don't worry, Mitchell. There are plenty of lovely women around here. You'll find one for you."

"Pfftt..." he shook his head. "Chics are the last thing I am worried about right now-and the same should go for you. What we should be worried about is finding a way to fix whatever happened to us and get the hell outta here."

The older man frowned. "What if that isn't possible? We've been here about a month. Maybe we should start thinking about settling in."

Mitchell pointed his hammer at him. "That is crazy talk there! Look, we were part of something big, I just know it. We can't give up on that. We need to figure a way out of this mess so we can get back to doing, well, whatever it was we were doing before we stumbled upon this god awful planet! I'm sure it was more important than hammering a bunch of stupid stalls together."

Reynolds nodded his agreement, taking a swig of his water jug as he leaned on the post Mitchell was working on.

Mitchell watched as Reynolds shifted his weight onto the post, then as it toppled over along with him teammate. "Yea, I wasn't done with that one yet."

They walked in silence down their usual path, the one that leads to the stream just outside of town, for quite awhile. It was a comfortable silence, unlike the awkward ones that often accompanied them along with their usual third wheel, Tomas. Jackson had noticed his absence but wasn't exactly sure how to broach the subject since they were having such a nice time just being together.

"Tomas is under the weather," Vala answered to his unasked question.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he replied half heartedly, noting how eerily she was always able to read him.

"Don't be." She bit her lower lip lightly, looking a bit guilty. "I might have made sure that he felt under the weather today."

"What?" he asked with a laugh. "You actually poisoned Tomas?"

She shrugged, trying to suppress her smile. "I wanted some privacy, which is clearly an idea Tomas is not familiar with."

Daniel immediately appeared apologetic, stopping in his tracks and looking like he was going to head back. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you wanted to be alone today. I'll go back to the village."

"No, please don't." She looped her arm through his. "What I meant, is that I would like to be alone. With you. It's just that, I like being with you."

He smiled with wonder as he glanced down at her. "Why is that? I just...you could be with anyone in this village. Tomas especially."

She lifted a shoulder. "When I first woke up here, I felt so lost and alone. Then I looked up and you were peering around the curtain at me...and you smiled. And I just felt at peace. I liked how you made me feel."

"Like you were home?" he asked, his blue eyes dancing with understanding.

Vala grinned at him affectionately. "Exactly. I want to know you."

He chuckled. "Difficult, given that we don't really know ourselves right now."

"What do you do with those books you are always reading? The histories?"

He contemplated this as he continued their walk. "Looking for answers, I think."

"To what?"

His shoulders heaved a sigh. "I don't know, but I feel like if I just look hard enough I can figure out what's happened to us. Maybe figure out a way to make things right." He took her silence to mean understanding. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Tat for tat, eh?"

"I think you mean 'tit for tat'," he corrected automatically, "but yes, that is the idea." He paused as she nodded. "Why does Emma keep such a close watch on you?"

Her steps faltered at this and she gently untangled his arm from hers. "Multiple reasons, I believe. She's never really told me, but I have my suspicions." She walked to the edge of the stream, staring out at the reflections of the trees in the water. "It's taken me longer to recover from whatever it is that happens to us when we come through the gate."

He straightened with worry. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, bending down to pick up a pebble and tossing it across the water, watching as it bounced. "I have...nightmares. Only sometimes they happen when I'm not asleep. I think I'm remembering things from before I was here."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" he asked as he stepped beside her, echoing her motion with a pebble of his own. "Why would Emma feel the need to keep you so close if you're only remembering?"

Vala swallowed hard, trying to fight back tears. "When they found me, she said there was evidence that I had been attacked. She tried telling me that they feared my attackers would come back for me."

"Huh," Jackson mused outloud. "I wonder if that's why she doesn't like us." He noticed her look of confusion and continued. "Mitchell, Reynolds, and I have noticed that Emma treats us differently than the others. Almost like she is angry with us. I thought, at first, that maybe she just didn't trust us since we were new, but we've been here awhile now and nothing has changed. And she gets particularly upset when we are around you. Maybe she thinks we were sent through the gate to come after you." He paled as he realized how true that statement might be.

"No, I think you have that wrong, Jackson." She wiped a stray tear from her eye. "I believed her at first, that they were trying to protect me. But now..." her watery gray eyes looked up to his, "those visions I have, the memories...I think she is afraid of me. Of what I might do to others."

He gently turned her around to face him. "Hey, that is not true at all. I promise you."

She shook her head emphatically. "I heard them talking, Jackson. I didn't come through the gate alone, but yet I was the only other new arrival until you and your friends came through almost a week later from what Emma said. That can only mean one thing. I must have killed the others. After the things I've seen, I don't think killing someone is the worst I am capable of."

He gave her shoulders an urgent squeeze. "I refuse to believe that. There's no evidence, Vala. It's just conjecture. And people don't treat you differently. Word would have gotten around if there were bodies to dispose of when you came through."

"But the memories-" she pressed.

"Could be of really bad movies you saw before your memories were wiped. Or it could be your subconscious mind manifesting your fears about your past in ways you just don't understand." He starting rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "There is no possible way you could hurt anyone. You just don't have it in you."

A few tears spilled over as she looked down to her feet. "You don't know that. Like you said, we hardly know ourselves. We could be completely different people than we were before."

He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger. "I don't believe that either. I believe that at our very cores, we're still the same. We're just missing our experiences. And I think I do know you. I think you are the most mischievous, and the most kind hearted person I know." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You've got an excellent sense of humor and an extreme determination that borders on stubborn. You're amazing. No part of you says evil or killer."

She lifted herself to her toes, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Thank you, Jackson." She reared her head back as he was about to kiss her again. "Can I call you Jack?"

He grimaced with an immediate, "No." He shook his head. "It just feels...wrong."

She nodded. "Fair enough."

Jackson leaned down to kiss her again, but the sound of a villager calling for Vala made him pull away with a groan.

"Later," she promised with a whisper before running off to meet her search party.

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait for this update. I am trying to finish this story up but the Stargate muse has left me. I have a fairly good idea of where it goes from here, with the action/intensity picking up here soon, so hopefully it will be finished shortly! My muse needs reviews to live though so feel free to review!


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